Becoming a blogger!

Now if you ask me why I started a blog I'd probably give you one of three answers:

1. I have no idea!
2. I had too much free time...
3. It looked like a cool thing to do.

Anyone of these answers will sum me up - I have no idea what I am doing most the time and if I have free time I will try something out that looks exciting. To be honest now that I have started blogging, more recently beauty blogging, I am really glad that I did.

As I work in PR and Marketing you would assume that I am great at writing, or that I did some sort of English/Journalism degree. You would be SO wrong! I came into my job by total luck whilst doing a leadership and management course (boring). Writing about things that I am passionate about helps me improve my language and the way I express things which will really help me in my job (again boring I know)!

Beauty blogging has also given me a community in which to make friends! I haven't really kept in touch with a lot of people from school/college and only made a few friends in University so it is nice to have somewhere where I can connect with people with the same interests as me. And everyone is super friendly!

Becoming a blogger has made me want to buy more and try more new products, which isn't friendly to my bank balance but could be really beneficial to me! I do get caught up in fads and hyped up products but I think reading other blogs can help you decide for yourself what you want to get drawn into.

I must admit I am finding it hard to think of posts that will interest everyone when I am not really into make up like most beauty bloggers, I prefer skincare, haircare and NAILS! Having said that I am really trying to make my blog the best it can be by writing about what I know, connecting with other bloggers and keeping my appearances up on twitter/instagram!

Do any of you new bloggers feel like this? Any tip for a new blogger?

Indie Nail Polish - Smitten Polish

Today I want to introduce you to another indie polish brand that I have fallen in love with. You will start to notice when you read my posts and tweets that I am obsessed with indie nail polishes. I love having something made independently that you can't buy in shops as I like to have something different from the norm.

I bought this polish from The Nail Arcade (who has since closed) but Rainbow Connection will be stocking these and many more indies in the UK from September! This polish is called Purple Polka-Dotty and is made by Smitten Polish.

This colour is SO gorgeous! It took three coats to make sure it was fully opaque as it is quite a light lilac colour. The lilac and the black glitter complement each other so well it is just a lovely polish to wear! I suppose it looks a bit like a mini egg sort of colour the way there are specks of black on the purple colour.

You may be fooled into thinking this looks a bit like Illamasqua's Speckled Lilac but this colour is much simpler having only the black specks of glitter interfering with the lilac as opposed to the other small glitter Illamasqua have used in theirs. This colour is much nicer!

If you are considering purchasing this polish or any other indie nail polish I would advise you to go for it. Every polish is individually made and so much effort is put into making sure all polishes are at the highest standard.

Do you like this colour? Have you bought indie polishes before? What are your favourite indie brands?

Bright blue and sparkly.

Today I've decided to bring you pictures of my beautiful manicure. I've decided to bling up my nails with some serious glitter and a lovely blue base coat. I have to say this is one of my new favourite blues!

Here I have used OPI - When Monkeys Fly and KIKO (69 is the number on the bottom).

Do you like this manicure? Is it too much? Would you wear these two together?

Happy Birthday to ME!

My 22nd birthday fell when I was in the sunny city of Florence! This is only the second time I have spent my birthday away from home, but I guess as you get older birthdays are less oriented around staying at home. On my birthday we took a trip to the seaside town of Viareggio, about a 1hour 40mins away from Florence on the train. It was a lovely sunny day so there were a lot of people on the beach.

I was a very lucky girl this year and got what I feel is a heap of great presents off a lot of lovely people! As well as my shoes that I posted here I also got the below!

Here we have a cookbook called Breakfast Lunch Tea, Minion Stuart, a cute kiss mug from UO, a Thomas Sabo bracelet, OPI - When Monkeys Fly, Chanel - Paradoxal & Taboo, Dior - Dialotine, Murad Pore Perfection starter kit, Murad lip protector, Topshop gift card, sweeties, a bird necklace and a Minion iPhone case.

I feel so lucky to have got all my presents and am thankful for them all!

Is your birthday coming up soon? What have you asked for?

When in Florence, eat food!

A trip to Italy is not complete without trying their amazing food! During my stay in Florence it is safe to say I ate more than my fair share of carbs and not enough veggies. I took pictures of every meal, cause that is what a sane person does, and I wanted to share them with you.

Left column down - [Lunch at Leeds Bradford airport, baby burgers and pulled beef sandwiches] [Calzone filled with cheese and mushroom] [Mushroom pizza and chips] 

Right column down - [Pizza and bruschetta with Gorgonzola cheese and mushrooms] [Mushroom tagliatelle and omelette]

Left to right - [Tagliatelle with tomato sauce] [Lasagne] [Chocolate souffle] [Apple cake]

Left column down - [Gnocchi with cheese] [Mushroom taglietelli] [Cheese pizza]

Right column down - [Steak with garlic mash potato and green beans] [Burger with swiss cheese and mushrooms with chips]

Left to right - [Toasted mozzarella and tomato sandwich] [Mushroom risotto] [Cod with olive oil and roasted vegetables]

As you can tell I love mushrooms and pasta! Not all these meals are mine but I wanted to post them all because they look so good!

Do you like the look of these? Any you want to eat?! :)

My birthday shoes!

For Florence I wanted a nice pair of high top trainers that I could walk around in during the day. As my birthday was coming up I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get these!

I went shopping and came across Nike Blazer high tops. I had to have them, but what colour?! I was sold on the pale blue version for a while until it came time to get them and they had a red pair in! I think fate stepped in when there wasn't my size in the blue, guess the red ones were coming with me!

Here they are...

I have worn these only twice so far as they are pretty tight! I think I need to wear them in a bit more to soften the leather around the edges up. When I wore these on the plane, coupled with my gold chain, I felt a bit like Run DMC... I don't know, I think it's just me who thinks that...

When shopping for high tops I came across another pair of beautiful shoes that I had to have. I asked my mum if she would get them for my birthday and she did! Result! 

These are the most adorable jelly shoes you have ever seen. They are textured around the edge and smooth inside with a fastening across your ankle. The bows on the front are black and glittery, they sparkle soo much! They are made by a company called Mel, whom I'd never heard of before I walked into Schuh but now I want them all!

What shoes have you bought recently? Have you got either of these shoes? Which is your favourite?!

Sweet Treats in Florence - travel

When you think of Italy you think of pizza, pasta, vespa scooters and the Italian language. When I was in Florence I enjoyed some sweet treats that you should have all heard of.

Gelato

Of course, I was going to say this, it is supposed to be the best in the world! You cannot come to Italy without eating some famous Italian gelato, there is a gelato shop on literally every corner in Florence. When we were in Florence we came across a gorgeous gelato shop that we kept going back to called Le botteghe di Leonardo. There I tried pistachio and choc/hazelnut, these were amazing. I also tried some kibanana (kiwi and banana) this was weird but surprisingly nice! Here are some pictures of the ice cream we ate so you can drool...

Ice Tea

Now I know that Ice Tea is a worldwide thing and when in the UK I do love a Lipton's peach ice tea but in the UK it is hard to find! In Florence, it was in every shop and even on tap in McDonald's. It is fair to say I drank a lot.

Cannoli

Anyone out there who has seen Carlo's bakery on TV will know what a cannoli is and want to try one. I was no different. When I got to Florence this was one of the things I wanted to get my hands on and when I did I was surprised at how yummy they were. Cannolis have a hard sweet taco shell with a sweet thick filling, mine also had a few chocolate chips. I must admit it was rather sickly but I ate it all.

If you know where these are sold in the UK let me know!

Have you tried any of these? What do you think?

Top sights in Florence - travel

I thought the best way to tell you about our trip to Florence would be to highlight a few sights from the trip that I thought you best know about. As you can imagine Florence is a beautiful city full of culture and history. We lapped up all the architecture and views of the city but neglected the art side of the trip. We walked a lot during the holiday but this meant we saw most of the city. Here are a few of our top picks.

Duomo + Bell Tower

The sheer size and beauty of these monuments will blow you away. 10 euros will get you up the Duomo and Bell Tower as well as gaining you access to the Cathedral and Bapistery. We ventured up the Duomo and the Bell Tower which I would highly recommend for the amazing views. Be mindful that there are a lot of steps! Here are a few snaps of the views at the top.

Ponte Vecchio

This bridge is always pretty busy and is full of jewellery and pawnshops, not very touristy. We decided it would be a better idea to walk to the to the two bridges either side of the Ponte Vecchio to see it's beauty in full and get some snaps. We also went back at night to see what it looked like in the dark.

Piazzale Michelangelo

We walked for ages until we came across this but it was very worth it. The views that you get of Florence are amazing, definitely worth the trek. There did seem to be quite a bit to see in the square but we just got pictures of the views.

These three are my top three but there are many more things that we saw.

Have you been to Florence, what did you see that I have missed?

What I wore in Florence

Now, before I start, I don't claim to be any sort of fashionista. I like black or block-coloured pieces that can mix with anything, mainly jeans. We set off to Florence last Wednesday for a week and my case was packed with shorts and vest tops for the daytime with a selection of dresses for the evening. Here are a couple of my favourite outfits.

Friday Night's outfit was a black flowery dress I picked up from Forever 21. I love that it is a different shape from what I would usually wear. It is very floaty with lace accents and spaghetti criss cross straps. With this I paired my staple black sandals.

On Saturday I opted to bring out a very pretty dress I purchased from Warehouse in the sale! It's a dress with a tight-fitting bodice and a floaty pleated skirt. This was great for walking around Florence, however when the wind blew a few people may have seen my pants. Sorry I didn't get a full outfit picture, but here is me up the Bell Tower.

Sunday was my 22nd birthday and I received this gorgeous dress from my boyfriend (hand picked by me!). I'm all for a bodycon dress but when they are plain I feel self conscious however this dress, again from Warehouse, has a beautiful bird/flower print as well as a tightened/tied area around the middle which I love. This has quickly become my favourite dress. This is paired with my Mel jelly shoes from my mother.

For Monday night's outfit I stepped away from the usual black and went for multicolour. From Topshop, this dress is a lovely light stretchy fabric which was perfect for a meal out.

Do you like my dresses?

My Private Jet

Before jetting off to Florence, I had to create my holiday manicure. Usually, I like to have something bright or some nail art to catch people's eyes but for this holiday I wanted something more classic.

I chose OPI - My Private Jet.

This is a colour I've had for about a year now and haven't worn much. It's a beautiful black/dark brown polish with lots of specs of holographic glitter throughout. It's a bit like having simple galaxy nails without the effort.

I believe My Private Jet is part of OPI's base range so where ever there is a full OPI rack (Debenhams/Fenwick) this should be there.

Do you like this colour? Would you wear it?

Nail Essentials

I've been properly obsessed with nail polish now for about two years. My collection started small but when I got into Instagram and found out my manager had a suppliers card my obsession took off.

I've come very far with my preparation, application and clean up. I have all the tools but no qualifications, although I'd like them. My method for doing my nails has become a refined art now, here is what I use.

Preparation

Nail Envy - This is a product that many people rave about but honestly I haven't used this consistently enough to see a noticeable difference. Sometimes I use this as a base coat as I like to think when I am using it it makes my nails stronger, other times I will use it as well as a base coat. 

Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat - This base coat is a creamy varnish which gives your nails sort of 'matte' surface for your polish to stick to. The smell is a bit potent but it does its job well.

Tools

My mum bought me a set of about 8 double-ended nail tools from Ebay. Now don't be under any illusion that I know what they all do! I only use the cuticle pusher and the scalpel looking one (pictured). I use this to push my cuticles back and circle the 'scalpel' end around to remove any excess skin. I also have cuticle clippers that I bought from Superdrug to get remove any excess. Beware, don't go OTT with this or you will make your cuticles bleed! After all this, I use the base coats as above.

Also, everyone needs a good nail file! I get my use a glass one that I bought from Amazon as it isn't too harsh.

Finishing touches

Once I've finished painting my nails I apply the holy grail of topcoats, Seche Vite. This has to be the best topcoat on the market, it dries your nails completely in a matter of minutes. If this doesn't impress you then the fact it usually keeps my nails shiny and without chips for a week should (no lies).  After trying this I would never use another, that may be why my nails are always so shiny. Make sure you apply this to the edge of your nails to avoid chipping. I think Seche Vite should come up with a matte top coat so I can change up my look.

Although this is my routine, I welcome any suggestions to improve.

What I watched in July

A fact about me -  I own a Cineworld card - so does my mum and my boyfriend. This means they drag me to the cinema all the time! I will run you through the films and DVDs I've watched this month along with my review.

God Only Forgives - I saw this last night and I felt like I had wasted an hour and a half of my life. It is really unfortunate as this stars Ryan Gosling, who you will all agree is a babe! This film is really not my cup of tea, there is barely any dialogue, a lot of graphic violence and no back story for anyone. I was sat there thinking why did he do that? Where did he come from? Is this seriously happening. I also tried to have a nap...it didn't work. So my opinion is DON'T SEE IT! If you have another opinion I'd love to hear it!

Despicable Me 2 - Now if you haven't see Despicable Me 1 well where have you been? Get watching it! Saying that I think that you can see the second one without seeing the first one. The minions are completely adorable and hilarious. They make the film what it is! :) We went to see this when there was a lot of adults in and the whole cinema was laughing so it is definitely not just for kids! Get to the cinemas to see this one! :)

Now you see me - This film is very clever and has an all-star cast featuring Dave Franco - pure gorgeous (James Franco's brother if you didn't know). Now you see me is all about large scale magic tricks that are great to watch. This is quite an easy watch that keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what they will do next. I'd say give this a watch.

On DVD this month I have seen...

Con Air - My boyfriend really raved about this film so in Tesco one day I picked it up for him, however, this led to him asking me to watch it with him. To be honest I am glad I did! It features Nicholas Cage and John Malkovich amongst others and whilst I don't really enjoy Nicholas' other films he was tolerable in this one. It is a cheesy 90's film but it is a really enjoyable watch. If you see this in Tesco for £5 I recommend you pick this up as you might be surprised!

Secret Window - A few months back I went on a Johnny Depp and Denzel Washington spree on Play.com and this was one of my purchases. I had always wanted to see this since it came out even though I had no clue what it was about. The film is basically about a guy who claims Johnny Depp stole his story and got it published so he seeks looks to seek revenge if he doesn't right his wrong. When you are watching it you kind of wonder what is going on and why this guy is going to such extremes but there is a plot twist that makes everything fit together in the end. Overall a good watch, again if it is cheap pick it up for a watch.

Lastly what I am looking forward to this month!

Red 2 -  I love the first film so can't wait to see the sequel. Plus Bruce Willis isn't too bad ;)

The Heat - Well you can tell this film is going to be hilarious with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.

2 Guns - I love films with Denzel Washington in and this looks like it is going to be a bit of comedy. Love it!

What films have you seen that you would rate? Any you are looking forward to this month?

A girly twist on a french manicure

When it comes time to refresh my nails I'm always looking for inspiration online. My latest manicure idea came from the Maybelline Facebook page.

I decided that this week I would try a twist on a french manicure by using a bold pink on my nail and a dark purple on the tip. Taking into account I have never even tried a french manicure before or used the nail stickers I think I did an okay job.

Now for how I achieved this manicure, here are 5 easy steps:

1. Prep your nails, neaten your cuticles and apply a base coat.
2. Paint your nails with the colour you want on your nail, here I have used Shorts Story - OPI
3. You can either wait for this to completely dry or use a fast drying topcoat. Then place the nail tip guide stickers on your nail. Note that the space you are leaving at the top of your nail will be painted in the other colour. Here I could have done with a little less space...
4. When all your stickers are in place paint the other colour on the tip, I've used Vant to Bite My Neck - OPI. Ensure that once you have painted the tip wait a few seconds then immediately remove before painting the next finger.
5. Finally, paint top coat over your nail to smooth it all over.

I'm off to Florence on Wednesday, so I am sure there will be another holiday manicure to show before I go.